CTET Notes In Hindi | LEARNING AND ACQUISITION
CTET Notes In Hindi | LEARNING AND ACQUISITION
LEARNING AND ACQUISITION
In CTET exams 4 questions in 2011, 1 question in 2012,
2 questions in 2013, 6 questions in 2014, 6 questions in
2015 and 5 questions in 2016. This shows that this chapter
is important from examination point of view.
1.1 Concept of Learning
Learning is a process of acquiring new skills or knowledge
and improving the existing skills also. An individual
undergoes a change in his/her knowledge and behaviour on
account of learning. Everyone is different from one another
in acquiring skills, means everyone has different rate or
speed of learning. Certain factors such as environment,
learner’s ability and motivation, teacher’s capabilities and
ways of imparting knowledge-all impact a person’s learning
experience.
The Critical Period Hypothesis states that the first few
years of life constitute the time during which language
develops readily and after which language acquisition is
much more difficult and ultimately less successful. A
commonly drawn, though not absolutely necessary,
corollary of the CPH is that any language learning which
occurs after the age of puberty will be slower and less
successful than normal first language learning.
1.1.1 Types of Learning
There are three types of learning
1. Motor Learning Most of our activities in day to day life
refer to motor activities e.g. walking, running, driving,
climbing etc. All these activities involve muscular
co-ordination.
2. Verbal Learning This type of learning involves the
language we speak, the communication methods we adopt
e.g. signs, pictures, symbols, words, sounds etc are the tools
used in such activities.
Pedagogy
3. Conceptual Learning In this torm ot learning. we require
higher order mental processes like thinking, reasoning,
intelligence. With the use of these, child learns different
concepts.
1.1.2 Factors Affecting Learning
Certain factors affect learning of individuals. These factors
can be divided into three categories, which are as follows
Factors Related to Learner
• Learner’s motivation determines the intensity of
learning
• Learner’s efficiency or mental capacity.
• Learner’s interest and aptitude towards the subject,
• Learner’s general health:
• Learner’s attention, readiness and will power.
Factors Related to Teacher
• Teacher’s command over the subject.
• Teacher s way of communicating
• Teacher’s personality and attitude towards learners
• Teacher’s behaviour with students.
Factors Related to the Environment, Teaching Materials and Human Resource
• Conducive environment to learning
• Structure and size of classrooms
• Availability of appropriate subject material to facilitate
the learning process.
• Home environment of the learner
RTE Act
he ghtof Chldren to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 or
Right to Education is an Act of parliament of India enacted on 4th
August, 2009 which describes the modalities of the importance of free
and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in india.
The RTE Act is the first legisiation in the word that puts the
responsibility of ensuring enrolment, attendance and completion on the
government.
This RTE Act stipulates that no child admitted in a school shall be held
back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of
elementary education. It also stipulates that no child shall be subjected
to pysical punshment or mental harassment. The act wants that
learning should be in a manner which is child friendly.
1.2 Concept of Acquisition
When language is learnt naturally and without any
systematic practice, it is called acquisition. The term
‘learning and acquisition’ are complementary. Learners
acquire language when it is used in natural environment.
1.2.1 Language Acquisition
• Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire
the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to
understand and communicate.
• This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities
including syntax, phonetics and an extensive vocabulary.
• This language might be vocal as with speech or manual as in
sign.
• Language acquisition usually refers to first language
acquisition, which studies infants’ acquisition of their native
language, rather than second language acquisition, which
deals with acquisition (in both children and adults) of
additional languages.
• The capacity to acquire and use language is a key aspect that
distinguishes humans from other organisms. While many
forms of animal communication exist, they have a limited
range of non-syntactically structured vocabulary tokens that
lack cross cultural variation between groups.
1.2.2 Concepts Associated with Acquisition and Learning
Concepts of various scholars associated with learning and
acquisition are as follows
Piaget’s Concept
• This concept states that learning starts with adaptation,
assimilation and accommodation. He also said that
classification was also important to learning language.
• Certain words and sounds needed to be grouped together to
better understand and use them in speech. Through
assimilation, the learner takes the information and changes it
to make it suitable for him.
Concept of Chomsky
• Chomsky states that every person possesses a Language
Learning Device or (LLD) which is a hypothetical tool hard
wired into the brain.
• It helps children in rapidly learning and understanding a
language.
• He also states that all children are born with an
understanding of the rules of language, they simply need to
acquire vocabulary
Vygotsky’s Concept of Learning and Acquisition
• Vygotsky was of the opinion that social interaction
played an important role in the development of cognition.
• According to him, “community also plays a central role in
the process of making meaning and learning 1S a
necessary and universal aspect of the procesS o
developing culturally organised, specifically human
psychological function.
• In other words, higher mental processes in the individual
have their origin in social processes. He places more
emphasis on the role of language in cognitive
development.
Pavlov’s Concept of Learning
• Pavlov propounded a new theory of learning known as
Classical Conditioning.
• According to him classical conditioning is a retlexive or
automatic type of learning in which a stimulus acquires
the capacity to evoke a response that was originally
evoked by another stimulus.
• Classical conditioning’ is based on the habit formation.
Pavlov was of the view that humans learn due to some
stimulus.
1.3 Language Development in Children
Communication between people who know each other
and respect each other is one of the most important
factors in language development of the child. Children
need to learn a language in order to understand things
around them. It is through language that they express
their feelings and communicate with others. With the
development ot language only, the children are able to
represent and express new ideas and complex matters
also. When children are not able to put their feelings into
words, they are very disturbed and this situation can
reduce or damage their self-esteem.
1.3.1 Initial Stage of Language Development
• Desire to communicate starts at birth. Babies learn
quickly how to get their needs met by crying.
cooing and making eye-contact with their
immediate family.
• A child’s overall development and his mental
health is affected greatly by his ability to
communicate in a variety of ways.
• Words are the most important tool through which a
child gets connected to his family as well as to the
rest of the world.
• Through words only a child stores information and
parts with his feelings and experiences.
• Children as young as 3 years ot age already possess
a remarkable knowledge of language structure and
syntax which is so complex and precise that it must
challenge any known learning theory to account
for its acquisition.
1.3.2 Actual Stage of Language Development
• Initial years of childhood can be called preparation
time of learning a language.
• The language development starts with the oral
expressions which a child uses to express himselt.
He/She learns a language through words, sentencess
and then complex structures.
• After a child starts going to school, child develops
ability to read as well as write. Slowly, the child
becomes proficient in all types of learning skills from
listening and speaking to reading and writing.
• Language development thus helps him not only in
using language as an expression tool but through
proficiency in language the child becomes
knowledgeable and changes into an all developed
personality.
1.3.3 Development of Vocabulary
• In the initial years of growing up child’s vocabulary
also grows manifold. children typically understand
or recognise more words than they usually speak.
• When the child is one or one and a half years old, he
understands more words than he speaks.
Table showing vocabulary of children in difterent age group
Children’s Age. Children’s Vocabulary
From birth to 8 months. 0
From 9tn monn to One ycar Three to four words
Upto onc and a halt years 10 to 12 words
upto 2 years 272 words
upto 2 years 6 months 450 words
upto 5 years 1000 words
upto 3 year and 6 months 1250 words
upto 4 yeas 1600 words
upto 5 years 2100 words
upto 11 years 50000 words
upto 14 years 80000 words
16 years and ahead More than 1 lakh (million) words
1.3.4 Vocabulary Learning
Vocabulary learning of a child in different age group is given
below
• Child reaches school age and heads to kindergarten, he/she will
have a vocabulary of around 2000 words. Talking and reading are a
very good source of vocabulary development in a child.
• Parents or other family members must talk to the child about his/her
day at school, about teachers, about books she/he checked out at the
libraries or something funny that happened at school etc.
• It is important to encourage children’s vocabulary development so
that they develop the language and literary skills necessary to
succeed in school.
1.3.5 Strategies to lIncrease Vocabulary
Some tips or strategies to increase child’s vocabulary are as follows
• Follow your child’s lead. If parents talk about what interests the
child, he/she may pay attention and learn new words.
• Don’t bombard the child with new words the child should be given
time to make a response and use his/her vocabulary to express
feelings.
• Children need to hear a word repeatedly.
• Help the child to understand what a new word means.
• Along with speaking new word, some actions or gestures should
follow. It really helps in acquiring new word easily.
CHAPTER EXERCISE
1. Which of the following is a pre-requisite to learning a language?
(1) Motivation
(2) Habit formation
(3) Imitation
(4) Oral approach
2. Learning a language is a
(1) gradual process
(2) last process
(3) instant process
(4) all inclusive process
3. Which one of the following is considered as a great deterrant to
learning English?
(1) Lack of opportunity for the pupils to
listen and use English outside the
classroom
(2) English is a difficult language to learn
(3) English phonemes are unscrupulous
(4) English has a vast vocabulary
4. ‘Language acquisition can be automatically attained’. This
statement is favoured by
(1) cognitivists
(2) behaviourists
(3) All of the above
(4) None of the above
5. Language acquisition occurs only
when
(1) the child is taught the rules of
grammar
(2) the child is given an award
(3) the child has exposure to the
language
(4) the child absorbs the language
without conscious attention
6. Mother Tongue Influence (MTI)
can be effectively minimised in the
classroom by
(1) using the mother tongue more often
(2) giving examples from the mother
tongue
(3) giving a lot of exposure in the target
language
(4) giving inputs from the target
language in a simple, graded
manner.
7. A child has to use higher order
mental processes such as
intelligence or reasoning in which
types of learning?
(1) Motor skills learning
(2) Speaking
(3) Concept learning
(4) Verbal learning
8. Which of the following is not correctly matched?
Person Work/Theory Publication
A. BF Skinner Language Learning
Device (LAD)
B. Pavlov Theory of classical
conditioning
C. Chomsky Theory of operant
conditioning
Codes
(1) Only A
(2) A and B
(3) A and C
(4) B and C
9. State which is not true in context
of learning and acquisition.
(1) Acquisition is a natural process
(2) Learning is a continuous process
(3) Learning results in subject
proficiency
(4) Acquisition helps in cognitive
abilities
10. From the given factors which one
may not affect learning outcome.
(1) Learner’s motivation and interest
(2) Structure and size of classroom
(3) Teacher’s personality and altitude
(4) Parent’s income and status
11. Which one of the theories based
on habit formation says that
humans or any creatures give
response due to stimulus or
humans learn due to stimulus?
(1) Classical conditioning
(2) Operant conditioning
(3) Generalisation
(4) Adaptation
12. A teacher is explaining a new
concept in the class. Shreya
knows the meaning of difficult
words and concepts. She also
understands the concept without
any difficulty. She is good in ……,
(1) motor skills
(2) cognitive abilities
(3) rote memory
(4) verbal ability
13. According to Vygotsky, learning
in a child or adult takes place
due to
(1) inborn abilities
(2) scientific attitude
(3) social interaction
(4) introduction of a stimulus
14. According to Piaget, learning occurs due to
(1) inborn speaking abilities
(2) stimulus recognition
(3) assimilation and adaptation
(4) scientific investigation
15. The children suffer from lack of
self-esteem when they are
(1) not allowed to eat what they want
(2) not able to express their feelings
through words or language
(3) are not allowed to play with friends
(4) None of the above
16. Which is not a very good method
of learning vocabulary?
(1) Writing
(2) Watching movies
(3) Talking and reading
(4) Both (1) and (2)
17. A teacher in class II shows real
objects one by one and then calls
out its name. Her purpose in
doing this activity is
(1) motivate the children and make
lesson interesting
(2) helping learners to acquire
vocabulary by associating words
with real life objects
(3) helps in improving correct
pronunciation
(4) to teach the correct spelling of the
word
18. The best way to develop a child’s
vocabulary at the initial stage
is to
(1) leave the child alone with story
books
(2) make him go to a school at a very
young age
(3) engaging in talks with the child
and reading out aloud
(4) show the child various
programmes on TV
19. A child of class II falls sick very
often. He has to be absent from
class to seek medical advice
again and again. This problem
will effect his
(1) cognitive abilities
(2) motor skills
(3) learning and language
(4) talking and speaking
20. Arti Saxena, an English teacher
of class V always tries that her
learners should pronounce the
word correctly and spell it
correctly. Which aspect of
vocabulary development she tries
to develop in her learners.
(1) Semantic
(2) Phonetic
(3) Phonetic cum graphic
(4) Graphic
21. Which of the following statements is correct?
(1) Learning is an unconscious
process
(2) Acquisition is a conscious process
(3) Group activity helps in transfer of
information
(4) Inputs from the target language in a
complex graded manner can help
in minimising the influence of
mother tongue
Previous Years’ Questions
22. The Right of Children to Free
and Compulsory Education Act,
2009 has included all round
development of the child’ as one
of the aims of education because
[CTET June 2011]
(1) it nurtures the physical, mental and
emotional aspects of the child
(2) it ensures that every child is a part
of a workforce
(3) every child grows rapidly between
six to fourteen years
(4) proper health care is essential
23. Teachers do not give the meaning
of new words to learners directly
because. [CTET June 2011]
(1) learners do not like to be given the
meaning of words
(2) it prevents learners from
discovering the meaning through
puzzling out using clues
(3) learners already know the meaning
of the words
(4) vocabulary will not be enriched
24. Teachers help learners
‘construct’ their knowledge in
English by [CTET June 2011]
(1) giving the learners a lot of
assignments and projects that will
lead to much practice
(2) correcting every mistake a learner
makes and giving the relevant rule
of grammar as immediate feedback
(3) giving extensive language drills in
which learners practice language
items mechanically
(4) enabling them to see the
relationship between the prior
knowledge and the new knowledge
25. Which of the following is an
instance of non-formal learning?
[CTET June 2011]
(1) Children learning to cook from their
parents
(2) Children learning a new game from
friends
(3) Children learning through
correspondence lessons
(4) Children learning to draw from their
art teacher
26. The main responsibility of a
language teacher as a facilitator
is [CTET Jan 2012]
(1) to create a number of opportunities
for the learners to use the
language meaningfully
(2) to provide a lot of information and
make the learners listen to it
(3) to strictly control the class and
cover the syllabus in quick time
(4) to read the lessons aloud and
provide explanation for each line
27. Language acquisition [CTET July 2013]
(1) requires the memorisation and use
of necessary vocabulary
(2) involves a systematic approach to
the analysis and comprehension of
grammar as well as to the
memorisation of vocabulary
(3) refers to the process of learning a
native or a second language
because of the innate capacity of
the human brain
(4) is a technique intended to simulate
the environment in which children
learn their native language
28. Noam Chomsky’s reference to
deep structures means a
[CTET July 2013]
(1) universal grammar underlying all
languages and corresponding to
an innate capacity of the human
brain
(2) hidden set of grammatical rules
learnt through intensive study
(3) transformational grammar that has
led in turn to increased interest in
comparative linguistics
(4) a trend that English is the most
common auxiliary language in the
world
29. Learning a new language after
puberty leads to … of a foreign
language. [CTET Feb 2014]
(1) difficulty in acquisition
(2) normal acquisition
(3) greater mastery
(4) loss of mastery
30. Language learners learn to do by
doing. Which activity supports
this observation? [CTET Feb 2014]
(1) Opportunities to practice as it helps
with habit formation
(2) Encourage the use of their mother
tongue to promote better
understanding of the meaning of a
prescribed text
(3) Go from concrete to abstract texts
(4) The teacher models the writing and
speaking styles which learners copy
31. According to language acquisition
theory, when there is a lack of
sufficient information in the
language input, there is a
universal grammar that applies to
all [CTET Sept 2014]
(1) colloquial language
(2) modern language
(3) classical languages
(4) human languages
32. For English as a second language,
‘acquisition poor environment’ is
one where [CTET Sept 2014]
(1) Hindi/Mother tongue is the lingua
franca
(2) English language is used only in the
classroom
(3) English is not spoken at home at all
(4) access to any learning material is
unavailable to students
33. Motivation is an important factor
in language learning. For
example, in Class VI…. may be
done [CTET Sept 2014]
(1) memorisation and use of necessary
vocabulary
(2) systematic analysis and use of
structures
(3) use of visual devices and game-like
exercises
(4) use of the mother tongue as the
‘medium’
34. Second language acquisition is
more effective when it [CTET Sept 2014]
(1) is used as the basis for discussing
grammatical concepts
(2) involves periodic revision work by the
teacher and students
(3) involves mostly self-study by
students, using certain guidelines
(4) is practised is stuations familiar to
students
35. A Hindi-speaking teacher gets
posted in a primary school which is
situated in a remote area of
Rajasthan. Since she doesn’t know
the local language, she faces lots of
problems. She should [CTET Feb 2015]
(1) try to get a posting to a
Hindi-speaking area
(2) focus on the textbook as a source of
standard Hindi
(3) use the child’s language as a
resource while teaching
(4) encourage the community to learn
standard Hindi
36. A teacher of class III realises that
vocabulary development is an
important factor in enabling
students to become better readers.
of the following, which might be a
good strategy for vocabulary
development? [CTET Feb 2015]
(1) Students underline difficult words
from a text and make sentences with
them
(2) Students learn to use the context to
guess the meaning of new words
(3) Students memorise extensive
word-lists of synonyms and
antonyms
(4) Students consult a dictionary
whenever they come across a new
word
37. A good teacher is one who
[CTET Sept 2015]
(1) gives them ample opportunities to
learn
(2) gives them useful information
(3) explains concepts and principles
(4) gives printed notes to students
38. According to socio-cultural theory of Vygotsky
[CTET Sept 2015]
(1) self-directed speech is the lowest
stage of the scaffolding
(2) children can think in abstract
terms if abstract material is
provided at a lower age
(3) children drink in different domain
and do they take a complete
perspective
(4) culture helps in language
development
39. Who strongly maintains that
language is learnt by imitation
of stimuli and reinforcement of
correct responses? [CTET Sept 2015]
(1) Albert Bandura
(2) Kurt Lewin
(3) Tolman
(4) BF-Skinner
40. The linguist, Noam Chomsky
maintains that every child has
an innate Language Acquisition
Device (LAD) that he/she uses
for [CTET Sept 2015]
(1) Phonemes
(2) Universal Grammar
(3) Complex words
(4) Semantics
41. Stephen Krashen’s theory of
second language acquisition
does not consist of
[CTET Feb 2016]
(1) the Natural Order Hypothesis
(2) the input Hypothesis
(3) the Acquisition Learning Hypothesis
(4) the Learnability Hypothesis
42. When a child learns a language
naturally, without much practice,
it is called [CTET Feb 2016]
(1) language generalisation
(2) language adaptation
(3) language learning
(4) language acquisition
43. The most important aspect of an
effective language classroom is to
provide learners with an
opportunity to [CTET Sept 2016]
(1) interact
(2) interfere
(3) assess
(4) imitate
44. Reading English as a second
language means [CTET Sept 2016]
(1) reading aloud
(2) reading for grammar
(3) meaning making
(4) decoding of letters and words
45. When language development is a
deliberate and conscious effort,
language is [CTET Sept 2016]
(1) honed
(2) brushed up
(3) learned
(4) acquired
Answers
1. (1) 2. (1) 3. (1) 4. (1) 5. (3) 6. (4) 7. (3) 8. (3) 9. (4) 10. (4)
11. (1) 12. (2) 13. (3) 14. (3) 15. (2) 16. (4) 17. (2) 18. (3)
19. (3) 20. (1) 21. (3) 22. (1) 23. (2) 24. (4) 25. (3) 26. (1)
27. (4) 28. (1) 29. (1) 30. (1) 31. (4) 32. (4) 33. (3) 34. (4)
35. (3) 36. (4) 37. (1) 38. (4) 39. (4) 40. (2) 41. (3) 42. (4)
43. (1) 44. (4) 45. (3)
★★★
The Complete Educational Website
